


Marked for Gold

by undernightlight



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kidnapping, Luke Alvez is a clingy boy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25947595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undernightlight/pseuds/undernightlight
Summary: With Luke still stuck on desk duty and out of the field, he’s struggling; being out of the action got to him more than he thought it would. When Spencer and Matt are tracking down an unsub, shit turns south, and Luke is sat in the BAU ready to bang his head against the wall and crumple to the floor.(honestly this is mainly just fluff with some opening angst, with a limited emphasis on the actual extent of the "shit turns south" bit)
Relationships: Luke Alvez/Spencer Reid
Comments: 5
Kudos: 139





	Marked for Gold

**Author's Note:**

> ralvez has somehow come into my life and come into my life hard; I kind of already shipped it, at least a little, but then I did that thing where you read a lot of fics about it (and sometimes you don't even know how you go there to begin with) then suddenly you love it and everything makes perfect sense.
> 
> I did that, hard, for these two idiots, two of my favourite criminal minds characters so naturally I must also ship them
> 
> anyway, enjoy

When the line dropped dead in a crackly bang, Luke choked on air. Everything was going well, as expected, and then Spencer’s line was lost, and then a gunshot, and then Matt’s went down and it was quiet. Luke, Penelope and Emily all stared at the screen, shock written plain to see. They looked between each other, still not sure, but it wore off and Emily got back into it.

On the phone, “JJ, something’s wrong with Matt and Spencer, you, Dave and Tara get over there now.”

JJ called out confirmation. There were two locations, Matt and Spencer sent to one and JJ, Rossi and Tara at the other. Luke was still benched at the side, and with bodies still dropping, Emily opted to stay behind at the BAU with them; Luke was thankful for an extra set of eyes. Except now he wished Emily had gone with Matt and Spencer and then maybe whatever happened wouldn’t have, and it would be okay.

The lines were disconnected physically, by whatever had happened, and so Penelope couldn’t get them back online. Luke tried to concentrate on the board, but he couldn’t. His eyes were glossy though he tried to fight it. He felt simultaneously so weak, like his muscles had given up on him, yet his fist curled around a pencil so hard there were slight crackles of the wood giving in under the pressure.

He wasn’t sure quite how long it had been of Emily talking and staring and waiting for him, but he snapped back to it when he felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to her concerning gaze. “Are you alright?” She asked, and he nodded, but even he knew it wasn’t convincing. She could’ve called him out on it, demanded an answer, but she didn’t. Instead, she nodded back, and they continued.

He managed to focus for a while, following along, giving valuable input, until Matt’s voice came through. “Hello?” He said, like he was unsure he’d get through.

“Yes, yes, oh my god,” Penelope said, “Matt hello, we’re here, you’re okay.”

“Yeah, but,” and he paused, “But it’s just me here. I think he might have Spencer.”

Luke felt his heart drop. The unsub, that they profiled as extremely dangerous and violent, now had Spencer. He dragged a hand down his face as he paced.

“No, no, no, not our precious doctor, not Spencer.”

Emily said, “I’ve sent the others over to your location, they should be there soon, and then I want you all to look over the area, see if there is anything that could lead us to him. This attack wasn’t planned so it might give us something to work on, then I want you all back here.”

If Luke couldn’t focus before, then any hope left him in that moment. His pacing had been short lived before his legs were barely able to keep him up, let along take him places. His head began to hurt as he fought back tears, looking away. But Emily noticed his pacing, his body language, his previously distant gaze - she was a profiler after all - and rounded into his vision with a concerned look on his face.

With a hand gentle around his arm, she pulled him out of the conference room. They stopped away from the door, just the two of them. “What’s wrong? There’s something you’re not telling me.”

He didn’t want it to go like this, this isn’t how they’d planned it, but there was no point in hiding it, not now. It was difficult to get words out his mouth, but he would. “Me and Spencer, we’re...involved, and I’m worried.”

“Involved for how long?” The surprise briefly flashed across her face, but it never reached her voice.

“Over a year. We, urm, we actually talked a few weeks ago, about all this, coming out to the unit, and we’d decided that once we had, we’d finally get engaged.” His voice cracked as he fought back tears. “Emily, I don’t know what to do. He’s out there with that son of a bitch and we don’t know what he’ll do to him.”

Her eyes were kind and gentle, understanding. “I’m sorry Luke, but you know we’ll do everything to get him back - we will get him back.”

He nodded. “I hope so, I just, I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to him.”

“Do you need to leave?”

“No, no, I’ll be okay, it just caught me off guard. I’ll be okay, I’m staying.”

Prentiss was called by someone below them in the bullpen. She gave another reassuring look to Luke, who nodded, before going round to talk to them. He made his way back to the conference room where Penelope sat. She stared at him as he entered and sat back down beside her.

“Luke, I’m so sorry,” she said, her eyes glossy like his must be, and he understood that she’d heard everything, though there wasn’t much told, just the broadest of strokes. “I didn’t know.”

“No one did, that was kind of the point,” He offered a smile, but it was trained, broken. “Don’t take it personally, and it wasn’t just me or him that decided, but we both thought it best to keep it quiet.”

“When were you going to tell us?”

“Soon, probably. We want to get married by the end of the year, but, urm, you didn’t hear that from me.” His humour wasn’t working to lighten the air.

“All those times he was in danger and you just acted like it wasn’t anything so personal.” She reached for him then, resting a hand on top of his, “I don’t know how you did it.”

He took in a deep breath. “Sometimes, I don’t know either.”

“We’ll get him back.” Again he nodded, hopeful. 

He'd do everything in his power to get Spencer back, but he was also smart enough to know he couldn't do it alone. Emily re-entered the room, giving Luke a sympathetic smile and shoulder squeeze, before they turned back to the board and continued their work, now even more critical than before. 

# # # # # #

Prentiss gave him permission to leave for the scene when the threat was subdued and Spencer was safe in custody. He was close to tears again, emotionally overloaded, relieved, so thank god he didn't have to drive. He sat quietly in the back, watching the world go by impatiently. 

They'd found the unsub and where he was holding Spencer, and the team had managed to take him down. There were some injuries - Luke heard over the phone - but no one needed the hospital; he was glad they all came out of it okay. 

They arrived to flashing red and blue, cops everywhere, two ambulances. Luke clambered out of the car, almost tripping over himself as he went. There was so much going on, so many people and so much noise, but he found Spencer, sat out the back of an ambulance, blanket around his shoulders as a nurse checked him over, JJ hovering close. 

He started making his way over, trying not to run and to carefully manoeuvre around everyone. Once Spencer had spotted him, a smile sprouted on his face. Luke could see he was trying to fight it, to not make it obvious just how happy he was to see him, but Luke was beyond caring - and if Penelope knew, they'd all find out sooner or later.

Just a few feet away and Spencer stood, JJ finally noticing Luke. Maybe he should've stopped, said hi and stayed calm, or even just hugged him, but Luke had no control, and as soon as he was close enough, he kissed Spencer with all he could. Spencer was, though also expectedly, taken aback, but quickly melted into the contact, hands settling on Luke's waist, with Luke's hand on either side of Spencer's face, holding him close and steady. It was desperate and it was needy, and if it wasn't for the residue anxiety still coursing through Luke's systems, it would've been the perfect kiss, but it was still pretty darn good.

(Unknown to them, JJ had wandered over to Emily who stood back, catching up with Matt who sat in the other ambulance. JJ, once by Emily, pointed over to the two boys. "Have I missed something?" She asked with a smile. Emily didn't say anything. She just smiled at them, knowing how relieved Luke must feel.) 

When he pulled back, semi-reluctantly, he rested his forehead against Spencer's, breathing in the air between them. "Are you alright?" He finally asked. 

He didn't need to look to know Spencer was wearing that smile halfway between a warmth, loving one, and a sneakily little smirk. 

"I am now, yes, I'm alright, I'm good actually."

Luke hugged him, wrapping arms around his neck and shoulders, and Spencer buried his face deep in the crook of Luke's neck. 

"Can we get married now?" Spencer's voice came after a few moments, and Luke needed to look at Spencer's face, ready to fully gauge the following conversation. Spencer continued, "Well, I'm guessing they all know now, after that little stunt," gesturing to Luke as a whole, a jokieness in his tone, "so that means we can get engaged, right? And we can get married?"

"Yes," Luke said, smiling, "We can definitely get married." Gently, Luke ran a hand through Spencer's hair, still damp with sweat but Luke didn't care. "My fiancé," he said with such a warmth to his voice Spencer blushed, a smile fighting at his lips, and he was losing the fight, badly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

They kissed again, shorter but just as desperate, before turning around. Luke somehow wasn't surprised that they'd amassed a group, the entire team - bare Penelope, who insisted on making sure the BAU was perfect for Spencer's return - watching on in various states of surprise. Luke couldn't help but laugh at them, proper laugh - Spencer would call it a cackle - as they stared from a safe distance. Shouting out to them, ignoring the other people busying themselves, Luke shouted, "We're engaged!" 

There was still confusion, there was an overwhelming sense of joy, as the team came rushing over hugging them and patting their backs and kissing their cheeks. 

"You know," Rossi said once the initial excitement had passed, "We're all going to want some details of this little love affair, mainly, how you were able to keep it so secret in a room of profilers."

# # # # # #

The team never knew Luke was so clingy. If they had to guess between the two of them, they all would've guessed that it was Spencer, yet on the ride back, Luke wouldn't let go of Spencer's hand. Okay, small, understandable. But then there was the elevator ride up, Luke holding on to Spencer's hand and arm, leaning into him completely at the back of the elevator, Spencer in the corner. Luke was smiled the entire time, this lovesick puppy look they'd never seen on him, but they all silently agreed it was a good look. And the smile on Spencer's face, as he looked down at Luke, was just as wonderful to see. 

When the elevator pinged and the doors opened, Penelope stood waiting with a slump of balloons. "Where is he? Where is he?" Spencer pushed himself forward to her and was instantly enveloped in her arms; it was a wonderful feeling. When she backup, "JJ texted, is there a wedding happening?" Luke and Spencer looked at each other, and Spencer nodded, a beaming smile, and was hugged by Penelope once again. 

After deeming the hug long enough, she stepped back and looked at Luke, who was waiting expectantly. "Okay fine, you get one too." Luke's excitement was priceless - at least Spencer thought so - as he hugged her, gentle and delicate but loving all the same. 

With the hugging over, Penelope asked one final, important question. "So who's changing their name?" It was in jest, but it caused the two to look at each other. 

"Luke Reid," Luke said aloud, testing it in his mouth. 

"Spencer Alvez," Spencer mirrored. Both of them grinned like idiots, Luke falling his weight into Spencer, who caught him with ease.

"Seriously," Matt's voice cut through, "How did we miss this?"


End file.
